JERUSALEM // Israeli security forces raided three settler outposts in the occupied West Bank on Sunday and detained at least nine residents over recent attacks on Palestinians, though human rights groups doubted the move and other recent steps indicate a serious change in policy.
The raids follow Israeli government pledges to get tough on Jewish terrorism after the July 31 petrol bombing in Duma village that killed 18-month-old Palestinian boy Ali Dawabsha and his father, Saad.
In another step billed as part of a crackdown on far-right violence, defence minister Moshe Yaalon issued a six-month order of detention without trial against Meir Ettinger, the 24-year-old activist believed by the Shin Bet internal security organisation to be the head of an extremist organisation that advocates violence against Palestinian and Christian targets.
The controversial practice of administrative detention, notorious for its use over the years against Palestinians, had until now seldom been used against Israeli citizens. Another young activist arrested last week in connection with extremist activity, Evyatar Slonim, was also ordered detained without trial for six months on Sunday.
A Shin Bet spokeswoman said those taken into custody from the outposts “underwent investigation” and that most were later released.
Despite the promises and three administrative detentions in recent days, Palestinian and Israeli human rights groups doubt there has been a real shift away from what Israeli president Reuven Rivlin conceded after the Duma attack is a “lax” attitude by the authorities towards Jewish terrorism.
“They’re trying to show the violence is committed by small extremist groups, which it’s not, this is part of a system,” said Shawan Jabarin, director of the Ramallah-based Al Haq human rights organisation. “The security forces know who’s doing what, but they don’t want to go after them. The judiciary is not functioning against the settlers, neither is the police. The settlers enjoy institutionalised impunity.
“The settlers may now take a break here or there but this will continue,” he said. “When you cut and burn trees and nothing happens, when you see you enjoy impunity, the crimes will continue until you burn human beings.”
Over the past decade, out of 1,067 complaints filed with police about attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank, only 74 indictments were issued, the majority of which did not lead to convictions, according to the Israeli NGO Yesh Din. The complaints included shootings, beatings, stone-throwing, arson, theft, damage to crops, attacks on mosques and the burning of houses and cars.
“We’re not holding our breath for any change,” said Sarit Michaeli, spokeswoman of Israel’s B’Tselem human rights organisation. “A systemic deep change is needed in law enforcement towards settlers but the government is not interested in this so it goes for high-profile cases and administrative detention to divert attention. These won’t provide the necessary protection for Palestinians.”
She said the Israeli army needed to fundamentally change its stance towards settler violence. “Soldiers on the ground in theory are obligated to protect both settlers and Palestinians. In practice the soldiers rarely protect Palestinians. They need to be made aware by their commanders their role is to arrest violent settlers and testify against them in court.”
Two of the raids on Sunday took place at the Adei Ad and Givat Habaladim settlement outposts, both near Duma, according to the Times of Israel. The location of the third raid could not immediately be ascertained. Police spokeswoman Luba Samri declined to say if those taken into custody were suspects in the Duma attack, but she did say they were suspected of "involvement in a number of violent incidents that took place recently" in the West Bank.
A gag order is in effect regarding the investigation into the Duma attack, whose perpetrators left behind graffiti that said “revenge” and “Long live the King Messiah” along with a Star of David.
The administrative detention order against Mr Ettinger, the grandson of anti-Arab rabbi Meir Kahane, who was assassinated in 1990, was said by his lawyer, Yuval Zemer, to be an indication that authorities had no evidence against him. “There is no proof whatsoever that he engaged in violence,” Mr Zemer said. “If they had any, they would put him on trial. They are just using a few right-wing activists as scapegoats.”
In a blog post before his arrest, Mr Ettinger denied he was head of any organisation.
foreign.desk@thenational.ae